War Memorial and Carver Plaque rescued from Albert Schools

[admin]

Refurbishment of the Union Rooms War Memorial Plaque now started too!

Thank you for the comments. I'm looking forward to painting the lettering and reconditioning the slate on that one.

In the meantime, I've cleared the table so I can have a proper look at the War Memorial plaque. This was in a shocking state when it was discovered, as the photos show.

It looked remarkably good after the first clean-up but, as mentioned earlier, the main problem with this one is that it is broken into three main sections: the top section featuring the dates 1914 - 1918; the main body with the names on, and the backing slate. The latter also has a large chunk missing from it (see photo).

With regard to the slate backing, I feel that the missing section should probably be left as it is - with the big chunk out of it - because it is now part of its history. Any thoughts on that?

As for joining the three sections back together, I am fortunate to provide a web site to a gentleman from Buxton called Tony Grimes who has a Royal Warrant to supply epoxy resins to the Queen no less! I shall be getting onto him next to see what his thoughts are.

As discovered in the under-stair cupboard at Albert Schools:



After initial cleaning:



The component parts that need to be reassembled:

[Howard]

That looks great. Might as well use the enforced social-separation time to do something useful!

[wheels]

Really good job done there.

[admin]

Restoration of Albert Schools Plaques underway!

Many projects have been moved to the back-burner thanks to Covid-19 but it's not all bad news.

The restoration and relocation of the historic plaques rescued from the cupboard under the stairs in the Albert Schools in February last year has been on hold for some time.

A new location was agreed with the Church Elders at the United Reformed Church on Hibbert Lane some time ago but a prolonged search to find a stonemason willing to help restore the plaques has been unsuccessful.

In December last year an application was submitted to the BBC's Repair Shop but with no response from the producers and the new series starting last week, that was obviously unsuccessful too.

Being confined to barracks and with the sun out, it seems an ideal time to take a look at DIY.

After research using YouTube, restoration work on the Carver Plaque was begun yesterday.

The two plaques are very different from each other – the Carver one has recessed engraved lettering filled with paint, although not a lot was left after initial cleaning last year. Despite being found underneath the other one there is no significant physical damage to this plaque and it seems the easiest one to start on.

The first step was to remove all the remaining loose paint from the lettering and then give everything a good clean-up. This was very successful and the plaque is looking much better already.

Black enamel paint has been ordered, along with a bag of cuttlefish. The reason for the latter will be revealed later (or you can research too if you can't wait). Once these arrive the next step will be to trial repainting of the letters. Conveniently there is some lettering on the bottom of the plaque (A. Frith, who I assume was the maker) that can be used to test the process. If this is successful the full lettering will be attempted.

Each of the plaques are mounted on a large slate backing slab. Some slate restorer and sealer has been ordered too.

The War Memorial Plaque has more problems. Although it looks pretty good after the initial clean-up last year, the big issue is that the component parts have separated. Hope to take a closer look at this today and I will post updates as the work progresses.

As found:



Progress yesterday:

[admin]

The article about the plaques rescued from the Albert Schools earlier this year has been updated with latest news.

It has been established that the War Memorial Plaque originally came from the Union Rooms (now the Regent Cinema). We know this as it is listed on a hand-written schedule of items transferred to the school in 1931. Maybe the other plaque was with it too but it isn't mentioned on the note.

A new location for the plaques to be permanently displayed has been agreed with the Marple United Reformed Church on Hibbert Lane, which of course also has strong links to the Carver family.

Attempts to find a stone mason prepared to quote for refurbishing the plaques has so far failed miserably, so an application has been submitted to the Repair Shop. Wouldn't that be exciting! If we don't hear back by the time the weather improves next spring then we'll have to resort to DIY!

https://www.marple.website/community-projects/memorials-rescued-from-albert-schools-html.html

[admin]

Not sure about the "E & E Workwear, the company that has used the building for their business since the late 1950s" I was a Girl Guide in the 1960s and we were invited to a Boy Scouts "do" held upstairs at the Albert School in the mid '60s. It wasn't a factory then.

I've asked MLHS if they can verify the date/decade that the Albert Schools was sold to E&E Overalls.

In the meantime, another theory put forward by Edmund Wilkinson is developing that the plaques may have originally hung in the Union Rooms Mission Church (now the cinema) and were removed to the cupboard in the Albert Schools when the building was converted to the cinema in 1931 (I believe). This theory seems to have some credibility when you look at the details we know about the men listed but not sure that it can ever be proven:

John Brown 44828 enlisted Hyde, 27 years old when killed 29/4/17
Lived 104 Hilldrop Terrace, Stockport Rd
Worked at Hollins Mill
Attended Marple Wesleyan Sunday School (is that the Methodist Church now?)
Attended Marple Union Rooms Mission Church
Remembered on Marple Methodist Church plaque
Remembered on All Saints WM
Remembered on Marple WM

Joseph Burrell 24578 enlisted Hyde, 18 years old when killed 25/9/16
Lived Hollins Side, Stockport Rd
Worked at Hollins Mill
Attended Marple Unitarian Church and Sunday School (is that another name for what is now the URC?)
Remembered on Marple Reformed Church plaque
Remembered on All Saints WM
Remembered on Marple WM

Harold Cooke 44060 Enlisted Chester, 19 years old when killed 2/9/18
Lived 18 Hollins Terrace
Remembered on All Saints WM
Remembered on Marple WM

Marmaduke Cooper, 50238, 35 years old when killed 25/3/18
Though to have lived in Marple around 1909 when daughter Olive was born.
Worked as an "assistant superintendent - insurance"

Burt Morris, 50473, enlisted Stockport, 21 years old when killed 7/6/17
Lived "Canal Buildings"
Worked at Hollins Mill
Attended Union Rooms Sunday School
Remembered St. Martin's Church plaque
Remembered on All Saints WM
Remembered on Marple WM

Fred Pickford, 76896, enlisted Stockport, 22 years old when killed 25/10/18
Lived 46 Market Street
Attended Marple Recreation Club
Attended Marple Union Mission Church and Sunday School
Remembered on Carver Recreation Club Roll of Honour
Remembered on Marple Methodist Church plaque
Remembered on All Saints WM
Remembered on Marple WM

Note: Fred's brother Raymond (age 24 when killed 8/10/18) was a member of Marple Band, attended Albert Day School as a boy and All Saints' Sunday School.

Fred Thelwall, 34742, enlisted Hyde, 23 years old when killed 28/7/16
Lived 9 Chapel St
Worked at Hollins Mill
Attended Marple Congregational Church Sunday School
Remembered on Marple Reformed Church plaque
Remembered on All Saints WM
Remembered on Marple WM

Samuel Thelwall, 26454, enlisted Hyde, 20 years old when killed 25/10/17
Lived 29 St James Terrace, Hollins Lane
Remembered on Marple Reformed Church plaque
Remembered on All Saints WM
Remembered on Marple WM

[amazon]

Sadly, the world is still full of philistines. Market Street is a case in point. One of the few things we can thank Hitler for is the reprieve for the Bulls Head terrace, built in the year of the battle of Trafalgar (1805), which had been condemned for slum clearance in the 1930s. Sadly, the philistines have made a horrendous mess of their cheap and nasty "modernisations" of many of the old Victorian shopfronts on Market Street.

And don't get me started on the iron and glass verandah on the row where "All Things Nice" is now! It was demolished because some idiot persuaded the council that it was dangerous. The foreman on the works told my father that the thing was so sound and strongly built that they thought at one stage of the works that they would cause serious damage to the buildings if they continued the demolition!

Its called Health safety as well

[My login is Henrietta]

Interesting stuff.  Seems strange they didn't take them with them when the church vacated the property.  But then our attitudes to conservation and history have changed over the years.  And I know that when the church I used to go to as a child closed recently, they left pretty much everything like that inside and locked the doors!

Sadly, the world is still full of philistines. Market Street is a case in point. One of the few things we can thank Hitler for is the reprieve for the Bulls Head terrace, built in the year of the battle of Trafalgar (1805), which had been condemned for slum clearance in the 1930s. Sadly, the philistines have made a horrendous mess of their cheap and nasty "modernisations" of many of the old Victorian shopfronts on Market Street.

And don't get me started on the iron and glass verandah on the row where "All Things Nice" is now! It was demolished because some idiot persuaded the council that it was dangerous. The foreman on the works told my father that the thing was so sound and strongly built that they thought at one stage of the works that they would cause serious damage to the buildings if they continued the demolition!

[admin]

Not sure about the "E & E Workwear, the company that has used the building for their business since the late 1950s" I was a Girl Guide in the 1960s and we were invited to a Boy Scouts "do" held upstairs at the Albert School in the mid '60s. It wasn't a factory then.

My source for that is the Marple Local History Society article here: https://www.marplelocalhistorysociety.org.uk/our-local-heritage/407-albert-schools-heritage.html

[My login is Henrietta]

Not sure about the "E & E Workwear, the company that has used the building for their business since the late 1950s" I was a Girl Guide in the 1960s and we were invited to a Boy Scouts "do" held upstairs at the Albert School in the mid '60s. It wasn't a factory then.

[tonysheldon]

Ooops missed the link.  Read it now.

[andrewbowden]

Interesting stuff.  Seems strange they didn't take them with them when the church vacated the property.  But then our attitudes to conservation and history have changed over the years.  And I know that when the church I used to go to as a child closed recently, they left pretty much everything like that inside and locked the doors!

[admin]

Mark, are these Marple people?  I don't recognise some of the names.  If they are Marple why weren't they recorded on the main memorial?

Hi @tigerman if you read the linked article fully you will find that seven of the eight men are on the war memorial in the park and there is an explanation about what we have learned regarding the chap who isn't, which is Marmaduke Cooper. All the others are on our war memorial and the time-line. Several of them also appear on All Saints, and on other local rolls of honour.

https://www.marple.website/community-projects/memorials-rescued-from-albert-schools-html.html

[tonysheldon]

Mark, are these Marple people?  I don't recognise some of the names.  If they are Marple why weren't they recorded on the main memorial?

[amazon]

Is the floor near the cupboard tiled some of that should be saved even if its only a couple of foot square it could be mounted some were .